More than 250,000 heart valves are replaced worldwide each year due to structural defects, such as valve stenosis, which may lead to regurgitation. Valve stenosis is a condition where a heart valve is not able to fully open when blood is pumped through the heart due to heart valve leaflets becoming too stiff, or partially fused together. Valve stenosis creates a narrowed opening that stresses the heart, which in turn can cause fatigue and/or dizziness in a patient. Regurgitation, the backward flow of blood in the heart, can reduce blood pumping efficiency of the heart such that a patient experiences fatigue or a shortness of breath.
Long term implants, such as prosthetic heart valves, can be used to replace a diseased heart valve. Some prosthetic heart valves are made entirely of synthetic materials, while others are made of a combination of synthetic materials and animal tissues, for example, bovine or porcine pericardium. Prosthetic heart valves made of synthetic materials can have inadequate long term chemical stability and/or cause undesirable biological responses in a patient. Alternatively, prosthetic heart valves made of animal tissues are often vulnerable to structural deterioration caused by calcification, causing the narrowing of the valve orifice, or cusp tearing. There is a need for a prosthetic heart valve with long term chemical stability and mechanical properties that can mimic a native heart valve.